But with bureaucratic thoroughness the CEO went through it all again, taking staid pleasure in the instruction of the mayor and local MP, though Pearly knew it all, and Esther was familiar with most of it. Pearly zoned out: he’d travelled with the project for many months. Esther was always particular about her appearance and was attractive in a business-like way. Pearly wondered whether she had much of a sex life. Idle curiosity rather than lasciviousness. Her husband had lost a lower arm in a boating accident, though he continued to be good company in social situations. He had a prosthesis with a variety of fittings that he’d once demonstrated for Pearly at a dinner party. One of them must surely have enabled him to get a secure grip on Esther. Once the novelty of the image had passed, Pearly just sat and watched the lights of the town spread beyond the large window of his office. Most were static and pale emanations from windows, some streamed like illuminated platelets in the arterial flow of vehicles, the security lights of the car yard were diffuse and yellow, the traffic lights on the museum corner ran through their tripartite repertoire ceaselessly with jube-like colours. The sky above it all held just enough obscured moonlight to show the indistinct and dark masses of cloud moving noiselessly beneath. The great organism that was nature throbbed on with no interest in Pearly’s ambitions.

When Congreve had finished talking about the development plan and answered Esther’s questions, he didn’t stay for the coffee that Pearly suggested. Just the two of them were left, comfortable with each other’s company. ‘Phew, he does go on a bit,’ said Esther.

‘A mandarin of the old school, but he’s a steady hand. A stickler for formality. Still town clerk in all but name.’

‘Well, you know I’m fully in support. I’ll do all I can for the project in Wellington.’ She never claimed to have more influence than existed in reality, and Pearly admired her for that, but at least she was of the party in power. ‘And you’ve got Colin Goosen coming down, so that’s good,’ she said.

‘Yeah, I’m pleased about that.’ Goosen was the minister for regional development, and Pearly had hopes of support, including financial assistance.